Improvement in mitre-box



dltteti ,gatuite i Etaient @attira Letters Patent No. 99,398, dated February 1, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN MITRE-BOX.

4The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent andk making part of the; same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN BULLARD, of Hyde Park, in the county of Lamoille, and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mitre- Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, sufcient to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part'of this specification, and in whichi Figure 1 is a top view of a mitre-box provided with my improvements, and

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

This invention consists in the improved construction of the mitre-box, as hereinafter setA forth, and in the provision of a slide, having spring stops, a Isetscrew to be used in cutting spring mouldings,\and 'adjustable gauges fitted to the saw-frames, to facilitate the cutting of tenons.

I will now proceed to give a detail description of my invention, referring to 'the drawings, wherein similar back of the saw, and open slots d, for the passage of the :saw-blade.

The-gates D must be of such length that when a narrow saw is used, it will be so supported that its cutting-edge will but just touch the bottom of the box without injuring the same. It' the gates are non-adjustable, only one widthof saw can be used, and evenk this cannot' be employed after the back of the saw has become narrower, and 'theopenin'gs which receive it are elongated by wear, unless (which may be thejcase) the sharpening of the saw will tend to narrow the blade to such an extent as to compensate for the wear of the back, andthe. elongation of the openings c..

To provide for the we aul of the saw and gates, and vfor the use of saws of diierent widths, at any time, I

make the gatesvertically adjustable in their frames,.

by fitting a set-screw, e, in the hottomot each slide. Instead of adjustment by means of set-screws, a slide, f, vwhich may be graduated, can be titted to each. gate, bymeans of a screw passing through a slot. -By setting this slide, (its lower end projecting below the gate,) the gate can be adjusted as desired. The mode of adjustment rst described is, however, preferable.

These slides f have also another'otice. When it is desired, (in cutting tenons, for instance,) to cut only to a certain depth, the gauges or slides fare properly set, so that their lower ends resting either on the wood to be sawed or the bottom of the box, the saw is prevented from' cut-ting below the point desired.

It is often necessary in carpentry and cabinet-work to clit mitres at angles, varying but slightly from those for which provision is made in the'box, and this requires the exercise of much care, with vexatious calculation and loss of' time. In the' present invention .provision is made for cutting these slightly-varying angles. K l A The vertical frames, in which the saw-gates are fitted, are attached to the sides of the box by means of screws t 'i t', which pass either through slots or enlarged screwholes; and g g are screws swivelled to the sides of the said frames, and working into the sides of the box. These screws have square portions to which a suitable wrench may be fitted, to turn the screw and thus adjust the frames, and with them, tl'ie'said gates, laterally. By such adjustments, angles like that sho-wn by dotted lines, fig. l, can be cut.

\ E lrepresents a slide, which is fitted in a groove in the bed of the mitre-box, and extending from end to end of the latter. This slide is marked with a' scale of inches. and fractions throughout its length, or, at least, for a short distance at one or both ends. Near each end of the slideis a slot, in which is xed a springhook or stop, z, so made as to keep the work which is being cut from moving.` The hooks are so made as to bedepressed when the work is laid on their top. A notch may be made in the slide, as at It, to facilitate its adjustment.

. To use this slide, itis adjusted to the desired position and there fixed by turning the 'set-screw j, which, at its inner end, bears against the slide. The moulding or'other strip is then placed in the box, with its .end against the stop. This slide is especially useful when it is desired to cut several pieces of work to the same size, for it is only necessary to set the slide once. Without, this slide, it would be necessary to use the square and scratch-awl for each cut.

F is along set-screw working through the side of the mitre-box, and having a head on its outer end for convenience in turning the screw. lhis screw is used in cutting spring-mouldings, which are set on edge in the box, in a position more or less oblique, according to the adjustment of the screw, which presses against the side of the moulding.A Thus, by regulating Vthe screw, the moulding may be cut at almost any desired angle. lhis screw F can also be used for holding any moulding while it is being cut, by adjusting the screw so as to exert lateral pressure onthe strip or moulding, and thereby bind it in place'.

Gis a block, made adjustable in a slot, 7c, in the bottomof the box, and fixed by means of a set-screw, l.` This. block serves as an extension of the side of the box,which is very useful in cutting spring-mouldings, andalso when using the saw in the end-gates shown at the left in the drawings, as it provides a rm support for the moulding or strip being out, especially if the moulding or strip be very short.

H is a wooden block, pivoted centrally to the under side of the box, and having .the projections 'mA an,

which, coming in Contact with the sides of the bed A, limit the movement of the part H, and render it steady. fn is a pointed lprojection, (of which only one side is shown,) on the bottom of the box, which also assists in keeping the block steady when itis adjusted. A plate, o, is set in the bottom of the box, below its upper surface, and having a curved slot. p is a setscrew passing through the slot into the block H. It will be seen that by means of this screw, the partfH can be iixed at any point within the limits of its movement. q is a pointer on the piece H, which indicates on a graduated surface, ll', the angle at which the said part H is iixcd, and'thus assists in setting the latter at any desired angle. s s are saw-gate frames, similar to, the others, pivoted, one at each end of the piece H, by means of set-screws t, passing through a slot, fa. By this means the frames s s can be adj usted laterally, at either side, to an angle of forty-five degrees or less,

ihe piece H remaining in the position shown; or, as'

the nature ofthe cut to be made may require, the part H and the frames s s may both be independently adjusted. This device will enable one to cut at any angle commonly required, as many adjustments may be obtained by this arrangement not' possible with theother saw-gates'and frames.

To the under side of the box are attached crosspieces v e, having screws or pointed pins projecting downward at their outer ends, so as to penetrate the surface "on which the mitre-box is usually placed, and thereby keep it from moving about while being used.

The mode of using this box, after the several parts have been adjusted as before described, is the same as with all mitre-boxes, and therefore requires no further description. e

The advantages of my improvements will be readily seen from the above specification by those interested in and acquainted with the use of mitre-boxes.

Having thus described my invention',

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- In the mitre-box herein described, the arrangement of the gates D D, frames O, screws g g, slide E, gauges ff, applied to the gates D, set-screw F, block G, frames s s, and cross-piece H, all constructed and arranged in the manner specified.

To theabove specification of my invention, I have signed my name, this 13th day of September, 1869, in

the presence of 4two subscribing witnesses.l

JOHN BULLARD.

Witnesses:

C.' E. STUFFLEBEAN, A. M.Dow. 

